Kimono
by calma-llama
Summary: AU where Older!Ulrich is a samurai in Feudal Japan on the hunt for Older!Yumi, the deadly and beautiful geisha.


The geisha was in his line of sight.

Finally.

Ulrich drew the arrow back, examining he from the rooftop across the street, watching his target through the window only slightly covered with its battered curtains. Yumi padded around her bath house, bending over to dip her fingers in the water and he watched the black silk of her kimono slide over her body as she moved. She stood up again, lighting the last of her candles that lined the edge of the bath, the flames flickering in the dark room. The glow lit up her face, the shadows swiftly dancing their way onto her delicate features.

He would release the arrow when she laid down in the water, when she relaxed in the bath. When she let her guard down. He'd end her, quickly and silently. It would be easier to clean up that way.

Her hand grazed the surface of the water, cutting a path through the bubbles. It was the very depiction of a romantic evening, but he knew she was alone. She was always so alone, almost painfully so.

He'd been stalking her for days, observing her every movement. He knew more than anyone that she was always alone.

It didn't seem like she would be the feared geisha that could decapitate five men with one throw of her tessen fans...Not by a long shot. But after days of observation, hours of research and the millions of stories about her floating around this town alone...He was sure. He couldn't forget. No matter how much he despised the many tales that were so often told at bars over a cup of sake with hints of bitterness and hatred, they still held a special place in his mind.

He loathed the teenaged girl. This town had no need for her. Maybe her death would get her out of his head. The world was better off without her anyway.

People had long since lost faith in heroes like her, but they had not yet lost belief. The bounty on her head was outrageous, enough to make even the poorest street rat a god among the living. Ulrich needed and craved that money. Sure, he was a well respected samurai, one of the highest ranks...But how could he say no to such an offer? He needed it to take care of his friends. They'd be set for years, decades even. He owed them that much. They were the only family he had left.

Odd was probably wondering where his bow had gone off to. He would of never guessed it was in the grasp of his best friend, its arrow aiming for the head of a beautiful, deadly geisha. He couldn't help himself though, just the thought of the money made him lick his lips in anticipation and greed.

He ignored the droplets of rain that streamed down his cheeks.

Yumi stood with her back to him and he watched as her weight shifted to one hip. She'd placed her weapon of choice, the dangerous tessen fans, in the far corner of the room, well out of reach if something were to go wrong. It was incredible, for the many days he'd tracked her, the fans hadn't left her fingertips once. He stared as her hands drifted down to her waist and fumbled with the ties. The robe slipped ever so slowly off her shoulders, revealing the smooth, strong muscles of her back, shifting under her skin as she shrugged the kimono off. It fell to her feet in a black puddle. His eyes wandered downward, examining the dimples in her lower back and the gentle, round curve of her-

He bit his bottom lip. He wasn't about to drool over the girl he was going to kill in a few short moments.

Yumi approached the bath hesitantly and shivered as the cold air crept up her naked body. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts, resisting the chilly embrace. She stepped forward and dipped a toe in, the bubbles undulating. Then, all of a sudden, she hit her forehead with the heel of her hand, as if she were scolding herself for forgetting something. Ulrich had noticed that she hadn't grabbed a towel...Not that she'd need one.

She walked back out, leaving is line of fire. The other window's curtains were drawn, so he kept his focus on the bathroom, waiting for her return. His mind began to drift off once more.

Some stories were hard to believe, let alone forget, the ones Odd and William had shared over lunch in excited whispers on those cold winter afternoons. For some reason, Ulrich was revisiting the memory of when she'd saved him from an ambush set up by the enemy's personal ninjas. How she'd come in, whirling into his life for the first time, and taken them down. She'd pinned him down, their dark eyes meeting for a fraction of a moment before she carried on, fiercely cutting down the remaining opponents.

He'd never told anybody about that.

Not his family and definitely none of his friends.

It was a bit of a shame that he had to kill her. She was very beautiful...And, if he had the chance, maybe he'd even-

"Give it up, idiot."

The familiar feel of a sword beginning to dig into his back registered in his brain. It was death, cool and ready. He'd encountered the feeling before, heard its quiet voice calling his name before, but he'd never been so surprised by its whisper. His eyes slid shut and dropped the bow and arrow, clattering as it hit the rooftop.

She'd gotten him.

"Now turn around." She demanded and he obeyed. He turned and the sword she carried was now pointed at his chest as she held steady. The geisha kept her distance, just the sword between them, as she pressed the point deeper into his clothing.

He couldn't help but notice her outfit. It was tight, highlighting the curves of her body. It was black and pink, not to mention sleek. How she got changed so quickly baffled him. Ulrich smiled. This girl was full of surprises and he liked it, even though it sounded pretty stupid. Here he was, thinking he'd had her pinned, yet she had slipped out of his grasp.

"Hello there." She spoke, smirking. He couldn't reach for his own sword, for he'd be long dead before his fingers could even wrap around the hilt. All he could to was talk...And watch.

"Hello, Yumi."

"You know my name then, I see? I figured as much. But one would think that since you're the one with a sword threatening to pierce his heart, you'd be wanting to tell me yours."

He huffed and looked to the ground, looking over her suit before meeting her eyes once more. "My name is William."

She rolled her eyes. "Funny, you don't look like a William." Her tone was sarcastic. "Now, tell me your real name."

"Ulrich." He couldn't comprehend why he did it. His name fell from his lips before he could stop himself, but there was something about her, that confidence she exuded and the obvious skill that forced him to obey.

"Ulrich, hm?" She tapped his chest gently with the tip of the sword. "You're a pretty good tracker, I mean, for a samurai. I'm impressed. Nobody's ever managed to locate my favorite bath house before." She placed one hand on her hip and he pondered when she'd discovered that he was following her. If she'd been able to sneak up on him, she was a lot more observant than he had estimated. She'd probably found out days ago.

"I didn't shoot you though."

"You say that like you actually had a chance."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been hunted my whole life. You'd think I'd learn a thing or two after twenty or so years. Besides, did you really think I was going to let some samurai take me out that easily?"

What had given him away? He was sure his plan was perfect...But apparently it had some flaws. "How did you know?"

"Geisha's intuition." She teased. "You didn't miss a step like I did when you were following me down that alley the other day. I heard your footstep. That's a big mistake on your part."

He'd been tailing her, but he was so far behind. The fact that she sensed him was pretty amazing.

"You're impressive yourself, you know. Sneaking up on me like that, it's quite something."

"My bounty isn't that number for no reason." She shrugged. "I do have one question for you though."

"Go for it." He prepared himself for the worst.

"Did you enjoy the show?" Her dark eyes were lustful then, taking him by surprise.

"Very much so." He answered truthfully. She laughed then, genuine and pure. Her short black hair swayed in the gentle breeze.

"I'm glad you're having fun too."

He pointed to the sword hovering over his chest, eyes narrowing. "This is your idea of fun?"

"If I'm going to have such a handsome samurai hunting me down..." She grabbed the collar of his outfit, yanking him close to her, close enough to feel the heat coming off her skin. Her sword had fallen to her side. "I may as well live a little."

Her lips were on his then, pressing hard as she ran her fingers through his brown hair, pulling him in. It burned like fire, intoxicating, overpowering and freezing all at once. And Ulrich couldn't help himself. He leaned into the kiss. His hands drifted, gliding along the sleek fabric of her suit and holding her by the waist. She breathed and pulled away.

Her expression had changed. It was no longer angry, confident or lustful.

It was lonely...And just a little bit sad.

It lasted not even a second and before he could speak, she was grinning once more. "See you around, Ulrich." She whispered before slamming the hilt of the sword against his head.

The world faded, cold and black.

He could still feel her at his fingertips. He could still taste her on his tongue.


End file.
